Jaclynn Jill Suitor (born 1954) is an American Distinguished Professor of

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

and a member of the Center on Aging and the Life Course at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

. Her research focuses primarily on the relationship between parents and adult children. Since 2000, she has led the Within-Family Differences Study, a panel investigation of the predictors and consequences of parental favoritism in the middle and later years among more than 500 multigenerational families. She is an elected Fellow of the

Gerontological Society of America The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is a multidisciplinary organization devoted to research and education in all aspects of gerontology: medical, biological, psychological and social. History and organization The Gerontological Society o ...

and an elected member of the

Sociological Research Association The Sociological Research Association is an honor society of sociological Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects ...

Education

B.A. California State University Sociology 1976 Suitor earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the

State University of New York at Stony Brook Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

in 1985.

Major work

In 2001, Jill Suitor and Karl Pillemer began The Within Family Differences Study (WFDS), to achieve greater understanding of these processes in aging families. WFDS is a longitudinal project focused on understanding the relationship between parents and their adult children, and the ways in which these ties affect the well-being of both generations. The goals are to contribute to the scientific study of intergenerational relationships and provide a basis for the development of strategies for practitioners to employ when working with later-life families.

References

External links

Jill Suitor
Purdue University {{DEFAULTSORT:Suitor, J. Jill 1954 births Living people American sociologists American women sociologists California State University, Fullerton alumni Stony Brook University alumni Purdue University faculty 21st-century American women